US20130306747A1 - Railway rail fastening clip and insulator - Google Patents
Railway rail fastening clip and insulator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20130306747A1 US20130306747A1 US13/979,412 US201213979412A US2013306747A1 US 20130306747 A1 US20130306747 A1 US 20130306747A1 US 201213979412 A US201213979412 A US 201213979412A US 2013306747 A1 US2013306747 A1 US 2013306747A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- clip
- insulator
- spigot
- rail
- throughhole
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01B—PERMANENT WAY; PERMANENT-WAY TOOLS; MACHINES FOR MAKING RAILWAYS OF ALL KINDS
- E01B9/00—Fastening rails on sleepers, or the like
- E01B9/02—Fastening rails, tie-plates, or chairs directly on sleepers or foundations; Means therefor
- E01B9/28—Fastening on wooden or concrete sleepers or on masonry with clamp members
- E01B9/30—Fastening on wooden or concrete sleepers or on masonry with clamp members by resilient steel clips
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01B—PERMANENT WAY; PERMANENT-WAY TOOLS; MACHINES FOR MAKING RAILWAYS OF ALL KINDS
- E01B9/00—Fastening rails on sleepers, or the like
- E01B9/02—Fastening rails, tie-plates, or chairs directly on sleepers or foundations; Means therefor
- E01B9/28—Fastening on wooden or concrete sleepers or on masonry with clamp members
- E01B9/30—Fastening on wooden or concrete sleepers or on masonry with clamp members by resilient steel clips
- E01B9/306—Fastening on wooden or concrete sleepers or on masonry with clamp members by resilient steel clips the clip being a shaped plate
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a railway rail fastening clip and insulator.
- WO02/31264A discloses a railway rail fastening clip 3 for fastening a railway rail to an underlying rail foundation.
- the clip 3 is formed of an elongate plate shaped such that a central region 31 of the plate has in profile the form of a letter C, a first end region of the plate extending from one side of the central region 31 of the plate to form a base portion 32 of the clip 3 for engaging a rail fastening anchoring device secured to the rail foundation and a second end region of the plate extending from the opposite side of the central region 31 of the plate to form a toe portion 33 of the clip 3 for bearing on the railway rail, the toe portion 33 extending further than the base portion 32 .
- the toe portion 33 of the clip 3 is bent so as to have first and second main parts 33 A, 33 B, the first main part 33 A extending a different angle to the second main part 33 B.
- the toe portion 33 is birfurcated, each bifurcated part of the toe portion 33 being shaped to provide insulator retaining means 34 A, 34 B for retaining thereon individual toe insulators (not shown) for electrically insulating the clip 3 from the rail.
- the base portion 32 of the clip 3 has an end face 36 connected to an inner face 32 A of the base portion 32 by a slanted face 37 , angled at approximately 45° with respect to both the inner face 32 A and the end face 36 , which acts as a lead-in chamfer when the base portion 33 of the clip 3 is being driven into the anchoring device.
- On the inner face of the base portion 32 adjacent to the chamfer 37 , is a detent 35 .
- a railway rail fastening clip for fastening a railway rail to an underlying rail foundation, which clip is formed of an elongate plate shaped such that a central region of the plate has in profile the form of a letter C, a first end region of the plate extending from one side of the central region of the plate to form a substantially planar base portion of the clip for engaging a rail fastening anchoring device secured to the rail foundation and a second end region of the plate extending from the opposite side of the central region of the plate to form a toe portion of the clip for bearing on a foot of the railway rail, such that in profile the second end region extends further than the first end region, wherein the toe portion of the clip is provided with a throughhole which is arranged such that, when the clip is in its operative configuration, part or all of the throughhole lies above the foot of the rail, the throughhole being configured to receive a corresponding portion of a toe insulator for electrically insulating the clip from the rail where
- a clip embodying the present invention may be easier to manufacture so as to have a consistent geometry, since the throughhole can be stamped into the plate before the plate is heated and processed to provide the remaining features of the clip, such as the bends in the plate and a lead-in chamfer on the free end of the second end region of the plate, and thus the operation of forming the throughhole and the operation of providing the remaining features of the clip can have their own respective datum settings.
- the throughhole may comprise an elongate slot.
- the slot may have an approximately rectangular periphery, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides.
- the clip 3 can be installed simply by pushing the back of the clip 3 , it cannot be removed simply by pushing at the front of the clip 3 , as attempting to do so causes the clip 3 to bind itself ever more tightly into the anchoring device (shoulder).
- applying a lateral force to the toe portion of a magnitude which would seem to be sufficient to extract the clip from the shoulder actually causes the clip to start opening out and roll about the ‘heel’ contact between the clip and the shoulder. This tends to increase the upward vertical force between the shoulder and the other end of the clip, so locking it ever more tightly into position. It is therefore effectively impossible to pull the clip out by the toe portion, and certainly impossible to do this with the sort of loads that can be applied with hand tools or small machines.
- An aspect ratio H/L for a clip embodying the present invention may be ⁇ 0.6, H being the height of the clip in profile defined as the maximum extent of the clip above a plane containing an outer surface of the base portion and L being the length of the clip in profile defined as the maximum extent of the clip in a direction parallel to the plane.
- a ratio H/h for a clip embodying the present invention may be ⁇ 6.00, H being the maximum extent of the clip above a plane containing an outer surface of the base portion and h being the minimum distance between the plane and a point on the second end region of the clip which is closest to the plane.
- a clip having an aspect ratio H/L ⁇ 0.6 and/or a ratio H/h ⁇ 6.00 can, owing to its side-on geometry, be extracted from a shoulder much more easily by pulling on the front of the clip, despite the fact that the contact points between the clip and the shoulder, and the relative positions of these compared to the toe, are all substantially the same as in the prior art clip.
- This improvement is thought to result from an increased stiffness of the lower part of the clip which is such that, as the force applied at the toe increases, the lower clip transmits enough of the lateral extraction force component from the toe to the other end of the bar, where the clip is located and held into the shoulder, that it is able to disengage before the vertical force builds up to an extent that locks it even more tightly in place.
- the clip is provided with a rail clip insulator for electrically insulating the clip from a railway rail, the insulator comprising: a base; walls extending upwards from the base around some of the periphery of the base so as to leave an opening along part of the periphery, the base and the walls together defining an open-topped recess for receiving the toe portion of the clip; and a spigot extending upwards from the base for retaining the toe portion of the clip within the recess, wherein the said insulator is arranged on a lower, load bearing surface of the toe portion of the said clip such that the spigot of the insulator extends through the said throughhole of the said toe portion.
- the toe portion of a clip embodying the present invention has a throughhole which can engage the spigot of an insulator. The loads that are applied to the toe when the clip is driven on to and off the rail are therefore applied through the spigot that passes through the clip toe, which provides a more secure connection when the clip is being extracted than the prior art arrangement.
- the spigot of the insulator may be made of deformable material.
- the spigot may be a hollow member.
- the spigot may comprise walls defining the outline of the spigot.
- the spigot may be open at its top and/or its bottom.
- the spigot may be located substantially centrally on the base of the insulator.
- the spigot may have an approximately rectangular outline, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides.
- a top end of the spigot which extends upwards beyond the throughhole, may be shaped such it extends over part of an upper surface of the toe portion adjacent to the throughhole.
- the shaping of the toe end of the spigot may be applied either during manufacture of the insulator or after insertion of the spigot into the throughhole, for example through the deformation of the top end of the spigot.
- the top end of the spigot may be provided with a cap member which extends over part of the upper surface of the toe portion adjacent to the throughhole.
- FIGS. 1A , 1 B and 1 C show respective side, front and plan views of a prior art railway rail fastening clip
- FIGS. 2A , 2 B, 2 C and 2 D show respective perspective, plan, cross-sectional and side views of a railway rail fastening clip embodying the present invention, FIG. 2C showing a cross-section of the clip taken on line C-C in FIG. 2B ;
- FIG. 3A shows a side view of a rail clip embodying the present invention superposed on a side view of a prior art rail clip
- FIGS. 3B and 3C show respective side views of the rail clip embodying the first to fifth aspects of the present invention and the prior art rail clip;
- FIGS. 4A and 4B show perspective views of a rail clip embodying the present invention respectively with and without a rail clip insulator
- FIGS. 4C and 4D show perspective views of a prior art rail clip respectively with and without rail clip insulators;
- FIGS. 5A , 5 B, 5 C, 5 D, 5 E and 5 F show respective perspective, plan, front, side, rear and cross-sectional views of a rail clip insulator for use with a clip embodying the present invention, FIG. 5F showing a cross-section of the insulator taken on line V-V in FIG. 5B ;
- FIGS. 6A and 6B show respective plan and side views of a clip embodying the present invention to which a rail clip insulator is attached
- FIG. 6C shows a perspective view of a clip embodying the present invention attached to an alternative rail clip insulator
- FIGS. 7A to 7D show respective perspective, side, plan and cross-sectional views of a clip embodying the present invention, with attached insulator, in its operative configuration installed in an anchoring device, where FIG. 7D is a cross-section on line D-D in FIG. 7C .
- a railway rail fastening clip 1 embodying the present invention for fastening a railway rail to an underlying rail foundation, is formed of an elongate plate shaped such that a central region 11 of the plate, forming the rear arch of the clip 1 , has in profile the form of a letter C.
- a second end region of the plate extending from the opposite side of the central region 11 of the plate to a free end 15 , forms a toe portion 13 of the clip 1 for bearing on the railway rail, such that in profile the second end region extends further than the first end region.
- the second end region, forming the toe portion 13 of the clip 1 is shaped so as to have first and second main parts, 13 A and 13 B, and a lower load bearing surface 13 C, the first main part 13 A extending from the central region 11 in a first direction and the second main part 13 B extending from the first main part 13 A in a second direction different to the first direction. Branding, identifying the origin of the clip, may be applied to the first main part 13 A or the second main part 13 B, and in this position it will be visible when the clip is in use.
- the toe portion 13 of the clip is provided with a throughhole 14 configured to receive a corresponding portion of a toe insulator (not shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D ) for electrically insulating the clip 1 from the rail whereby the insulator can be retained on the toe portion 13 of the clip 1 .
- the throughhole 14 is not open at the free end 15 of the clip 1
- the throughhole 14 comprises an elongate slot, with an approximately rectangular periphery, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides, but other shapes of throughhole 14 may be provided.
- the throughhole 14 is preferably of relatively large area compared to that of the second main part 13 B and may be formed.
- the dimension X was 31.5 mm and the dimension Y was 77 mm, dimension x of the throughhole 14 would be around 12.7 mm and dimension y of the throughhole 14 would be around 50.8 mm.
- the side-on geometry of the clip 1 differs from the prior art clip 3 described above in various ways, as will now be described with reference to FIG. 3B which shows the clip 1 and FIG. 3C which shows the prior art clip 3 described above.
- H and H′ represent the respective heights of the clips 1 , 3 in profile, defined as the maximum extent of the clips 1 3 above a plane A containing an outer surface of the base portion 13 , 33 ;
- L, L′ represents the length of the clip 1 , 3 in profile, defined as the maximum extent of the clip 1 , 3 in a direction parallel to the plane A;
- ⁇ , ⁇ ′ is the angle made by the first direction, in which the first main part 13 A, 33 A of the second end region extends, with respect to the plane A;
- ⁇ , ⁇ ′ is the angle made by the second direction, in which the second main part 13 B, 33 B of the second end region extends, with respect to the plane A;
- h, h′ is the minimum distance between the plane A and a point on the second end region of the clip 1 , 3 which is closest to the plane A:
- B, B′ is the maximum extent of the base portion 12 , 32 of the clip 1 , 3 from the outermost edge of the central region 11 , 31
- an aspect ratio H/L for the clip 1 may be ⁇ 0.6.
- the aspect ratio H/L may fall within a range from 0.4 to 06, or more preferably from 0.45 to 0.6, or even more preferably from 0.45 to 0.55.
- Prior art clips 3 have a larger aspect ratio H′/L′ than such a clip 1 , for example a typical clip 3 , such as shown in FIG. 3B , has an aspect ratio H′/L′ of 0.64.
- H/L is 0.49.
- the angle ⁇ made by the first direction With respect to the plane A may be ⁇ 50°.
- Angle ⁇ may fall within a range from 20° to 50°, or more preferably from 30° to 50°, or even more preferably from 30° to 40°.
- Prior art clips 3 have a larger angle ⁇ ′ than such a clip 1 , for example a typical clip 3 , such as shown in FIG. 3B , has an angle ⁇ ′ of 68°.
- angle ⁇ is 35°.
- a ratio H/h for the clip 1 may be ⁇ 6.00.
- the ratio H/h may fall within a range from 3.00 to 6.00, or more preferably from 4.00 to 6.00, or even more preferably from 4.00 to 5.00.
- Prior art clips 3 have a larger ratio H′/h′ than such a clip 1 , for example a typical clip 3 , such as shown in FIG. 3B , has a ratio H′/h′ of 7.4.
- ratio H/h is 4.6.
- the clip is easier to extract from a shoulder and to install therein than a prior art clip such as the clip 3 .
- the extraction force required to remove a typical clip, such as the example clip 1 shown in FIG. 3A was found to be 18.95 kN, whereas an extraction force of 37.65 kN was unable to remove the clip 3 from the same shoulder.
- the installation force required to drive a typical clip, such as the example clip 1 shown in FIG. 3A into the shoulder was found to be 13.55 kN as compared to an installation force of 26.79 kN required to drive the clip 3 into the same shoulder.
- length B is 61.5 mm and angle ⁇ is 14.5°
- angle ⁇ ′ is 18.5°
- the toe portion 13 of the clip 1 is not bifurcated, nor does it have the same sort of insulator-retaining features 34 A, 34 B as the clip 3 for retaining toe insulators 40 A, 40 B as shown in FIG. 4C .
- the toe portion 13 of the clip 1 is provided, in the second main part 13 B, with a throughhole 14 in the form of a slot which, as shown in FIG. 4A , can receive part of a rail clip insulator 2 for electrically insulating a railway rail fastening clip from a railway rail.
- the insulator 2 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 5A to 5F . Further views of the insulator 2 attached to the toe of the clip 3 are shown in FIGS. 6A and 68 , and FIG. 6C which shows an alternative embodiment.
- the insulator 2 comprises a base 21 and walls 22 extending upwards from the base 21 around some of the periphery of the base 21 so as to leave an opening 23 along part of the periphery.
- the base 21 and the walls 22 together define an open-topped recess 24 for receiving the toe portion 13 of the clip 1 , in particular for receiving the second main part 13 B.
- a spigot 25 is located substantially centrally on the base 21 and extends upwards from the base 21 for retaining the toe portion 13 of the clip 1 within the recess 24 .
- the top of the spigot 25 extends above the walls 22 .
- the spigot 25 has an approximately rectangular outline, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides.
- the spigot 25 is made of deformable material and is shaped and sized relative to the throughhole 14 so as to have an interference/mechanical fit therewith which acts to retain the insulator on the toe portion of the clip.
- a top end of the spigot 25 may be adapted to extend over part of an upper surface of the toe portion 13 adjacent to the throughhole 14 , such that the spigot 25 cannot pull back through.
- the top end of the spigot 25 may be shaped during manufacture so as to have a snap-fit design (for example, an outwardly-extending deformable annular lip, not shown), or re-shaped (not shown) after the spigot 25 has been inserted into the throughhole 14 for example by ultrasonic staking).
- the top end of the spigot 25 may be fitted (for example, by welding) with a cap member 26 , as shown in FIG. 6C , the periphery of which extends beyond the periphery of the throughhole 14 .
- the spigot 25 is a hollow, or partly hollow (as in this embodiment), member, comprising walls 25 A defining the outline of the spigot 25 , which is open at its top.
- the spigot may also be open at its bottom.
- the open end of the spigot 25 may be covered with a cap member 26 .
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Railway Tracks (AREA)
- Clamps And Clips (AREA)
- Connections Arranged To Contact A Plurality Of Conductors (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a railway rail fastening clip and insulator.
- As shown in
FIGS. 1A , 1B and 1C of the accompanying drawings. WO02/31264A (GB2384020B/US6923381B) discloses a railwayrail fastening clip 3 for fastening a railway rail to an underlying rail foundation. Theclip 3 is formed of an elongate plate shaped such that acentral region 31 of the plate has in profile the form of a letter C, a first end region of the plate extending from one side of thecentral region 31 of the plate to form abase portion 32 of theclip 3 for engaging a rail fastening anchoring device secured to the rail foundation and a second end region of the plate extending from the opposite side of thecentral region 31 of the plate to form atoe portion 33 of theclip 3 for bearing on the railway rail, thetoe portion 33 extending further than thebase portion 32. Thetoe portion 33 of theclip 3 is bent so as to have first and secondmain parts main part 33A extending a different angle to the secondmain part 33B. Thetoe portion 33 is birfurcated, each bifurcated part of thetoe portion 33 being shaped to provide insulator retaining means 34A, 34B for retaining thereon individual toe insulators (not shown) for electrically insulating theclip 3 from the rail. Thebase portion 32 of theclip 3 has anend face 36 connected to aninner face 32A of thebase portion 32 by aslanted face 37, angled at approximately 45° with respect to both theinner face 32A and theend face 36, which acts as a lead-in chamfer when thebase portion 33 of theclip 3 is being driven into the anchoring device. On the inner face of thebase portion 32, adjacent to thechamfer 37, is a detent 35. - According to an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a railway rail fastening clip for fastening a railway rail to an underlying rail foundation, which clip is formed of an elongate plate shaped such that a central region of the plate has in profile the form of a letter C, a first end region of the plate extending from one side of the central region of the plate to form a substantially planar base portion of the clip for engaging a rail fastening anchoring device secured to the rail foundation and a second end region of the plate extending from the opposite side of the central region of the plate to form a toe portion of the clip for bearing on a foot of the railway rail, such that in profile the second end region extends further than the first end region, wherein the toe portion of the clip is provided with a throughhole which is arranged such that, when the clip is in its operative configuration, part or all of the throughhole lies above the foot of the rail, the throughhole being configured to receive a corresponding portion of a toe insulator for electrically insulating the clip from the rail whereby the insulator can be retained on the toe portion of the clip. The throughhole may be made by cold-punching through the plate.
- Through its design a clip embodying the present invention may be easier to manufacture so as to have a consistent geometry, since the throughhole can be stamped into the plate before the plate is heated and processed to provide the remaining features of the clip, such as the bends in the plate and a lead-in chamfer on the free end of the second end region of the plate, and thus the operation of forming the throughhole and the operation of providing the remaining features of the clip can have their own respective datum settings.
- The throughhole may comprise an elongate slot. The slot may have an approximately rectangular periphery, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides.
- Although the
clip 3 can be installed simply by pushing the back of theclip 3, it cannot be removed simply by pushing at the front of theclip 3, as attempting to do so causes theclip 3 to bind itself ever more tightly into the anchoring device (shoulder). In particular, applying a lateral force to the toe portion of a magnitude which would seem to be sufficient to extract the clip from the shoulder, actually causes the clip to start opening out and roll about the ‘heel’ contact between the clip and the shoulder. This tends to increase the upward vertical force between the shoulder and the other end of the clip, so locking it ever more tightly into position. It is therefore effectively impossible to pull the clip out by the toe portion, and certainly impossible to do this with the sort of loads that can be applied with hand tools or small machines. Even if much larger forces were applied with larger machines, and the clip were to be removed in this way, the clip and toe insulators would end up being permanently distorted. Consequently, theclip 3 has to be pulled out by pins inserted just in front of the central portion 31 (rear arch). This makes hand tools slower to use and more cumbersome than desirable, and machines more so. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a railway rail fastening clip which can be extracted more easily from an anchoring device. - An aspect ratio H/L for a clip embodying the present invention may be ≦0.6, H being the height of the clip in profile defined as the maximum extent of the clip above a plane containing an outer surface of the base portion and L being the length of the clip in profile defined as the maximum extent of the clip in a direction parallel to the plane.
- A ratio H/h for a clip embodying the present invention may be ≦6.00, H being the maximum extent of the clip above a plane containing an outer surface of the base portion and h being the minimum distance between the plane and a point on the second end region of the clip which is closest to the plane.
- In contrast to the prior art clip described above, a clip having an aspect ratio H/L≦0.6 and/or a ratio H/h≦6.00 can, owing to its side-on geometry, be extracted from a shoulder much more easily by pulling on the front of the clip, despite the fact that the contact points between the clip and the shoulder, and the relative positions of these compared to the toe, are all substantially the same as in the prior art clip.
- This improvement is thought to result from an increased stiffness of the lower part of the clip which is such that, as the force applied at the toe increases, the lower clip transmits enough of the lateral extraction force component from the toe to the other end of the bar, where the clip is located and held into the shoulder, that it is able to disengage before the vertical force builds up to an extent that locks it even more tightly in place.
- It has been found that for such a clip strains on installation are the same or slightly lower than for the prior art clip, and the load-deflection characteristic is very similar to that of the prior art clip. A clip having the specified ratio(s) will fit into the existing shoulder. Although a new tool can be designed to extract the clip more easily, the new clip is backwardly compatible in that it can be extracted using a slightly modified version of the existing tool used to pull the prior art clip out by its rear arch.
- In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the clip is provided with a rail clip insulator for electrically insulating the clip from a railway rail, the insulator comprising: a base; walls extending upwards from the base around some of the periphery of the base so as to leave an opening along part of the periphery, the base and the walls together defining an open-topped recess for receiving the toe portion of the clip; and a spigot extending upwards from the base for retaining the toe portion of the clip within the recess, wherein the said insulator is arranged on a lower, load bearing surface of the toe portion of the said clip such that the spigot of the insulator extends through the said throughhole of the said toe portion.
- In contrast to the
prior art clip 3, where each toe part is provided with its own insulator cap which is attached to relatively small features punched in the end of each toe part, the toe portion of a clip embodying the present invention has a throughhole which can engage the spigot of an insulator. The loads that are applied to the toe when the clip is driven on to and off the rail are therefore applied through the spigot that passes through the clip toe, which provides a more secure connection when the clip is being extracted than the prior art arrangement. - The spigot of the insulator may be made of deformable material. The spigot may be a hollow member. The spigot may comprise walls defining the outline of the spigot. The spigot may be open at its top and/or its bottom. The spigot may be located substantially centrally on the base of the insulator. The spigot may have an approximately rectangular outline, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides.
- In certain circumstances, for example in order to retain the insulator more securely on the clip toe, a top end of the spigot, which extends upwards beyond the throughhole, may be shaped such it extends over part of an upper surface of the toe portion adjacent to the throughhole. The shaping of the toe end of the spigot may be applied either during manufacture of the insulator or after insertion of the spigot into the throughhole, for example through the deformation of the top end of the spigot. Alternatively, after insertion of the spigot into the throughhole, the top end of the spigot may be provided with a cap member which extends over part of the upper surface of the toe portion adjacent to the throughhole.
- Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIGS. 1A , 1B and 1C (described above) show respective side, front and plan views of a prior art railway rail fastening clip; -
FIGS. 2A , 2B, 2C and 2D show respective perspective, plan, cross-sectional and side views of a railway rail fastening clip embodying the present invention,FIG. 2C showing a cross-section of the clip taken on line C-C inFIG. 2B ; -
FIG. 3A shows a side view of a rail clip embodying the present invention superposed on a side view of a prior art rail clip, andFIGS. 3B and 3C show respective side views of the rail clip embodying the first to fifth aspects of the present invention and the prior art rail clip; -
FIGS. 4A and 4B show perspective views of a rail clip embodying the present invention respectively with and without a rail clip insulator, andFIGS. 4C and 4D show perspective views of a prior art rail clip respectively with and without rail clip insulators; -
FIGS. 5A , 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E and 5F show respective perspective, plan, front, side, rear and cross-sectional views of a rail clip insulator for use with a clip embodying the present invention,FIG. 5F showing a cross-section of the insulator taken on line V-V inFIG. 5B ; -
FIGS. 6A and 6B show respective plan and side views of a clip embodying the present invention to which a rail clip insulator is attached, andFIG. 6C shows a perspective view of a clip embodying the present invention attached to an alternative rail clip insulator; and -
FIGS. 7A to 7D show respective perspective, side, plan and cross-sectional views of a clip embodying the present invention, with attached insulator, in its operative configuration installed in an anchoring device, whereFIG. 7D is a cross-section on line D-D inFIG. 7C . - As shown in
FIGS. 2A to 2D , a railwayrail fastening clip 1 embodying the present invention, for fastening a railway rail to an underlying rail foundation, is formed of an elongate plate shaped such that acentral region 11 of the plate, forming the rear arch of theclip 1, has in profile the form of a letter C. A first end region of the plate, extending from one side of thecentral region 11 of the plate to afree end 16, forms a substantiallyplanar base portion 12 of theclip 1 for engaging a rail fastening anchoring device secured to the rail foundation. A second end region of the plate, extending from the opposite side of thecentral region 11 of the plate to afree end 15, forms atoe portion 13 of theclip 1 for bearing on the railway rail, such that in profile the second end region extends further than the first end region. The second end region, forming thetoe portion 13 of theclip 1, is shaped so as to have first and second main parts, 13A and 13B, and a lowerload bearing surface 13C, the firstmain part 13A extending from thecentral region 11 in a first direction and the secondmain part 13B extending from the firstmain part 13A in a second direction different to the first direction. Branding, identifying the origin of the clip, may be applied to the firstmain part 13A or the secondmain part 13B, and in this position it will be visible when the clip is in use. - The
toe portion 13 of the clip is provided with a throughhole 14 configured to receive a corresponding portion of a toe insulator (not shown inFIGS. 2A to 2D ) for electrically insulating theclip 1 from the rail whereby the insulator can be retained on thetoe portion 13 of theclip 1. As shown most clearly inFIG. 2A , thethroughhole 14 is not open at thefree end 15 of theclip 1 In this embodiment thethroughhole 14 comprises an elongate slot, with an approximately rectangular periphery, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides, but other shapes ofthroughhole 14 may be provided. Thethroughhole 14 is preferably of relatively large area compared to that of the secondmain part 13B and may be formed. for example, by cold-punching through the toe portion (second end region) of the plate, were the stress is low, For example, if in theclip 3 shown inFIGS. 2A to 2D the dimension X was 31.5 mm and the dimension Y was 77 mm, dimension x of the throughhole 14 would be around 12.7 mm and dimension y of the throughhole 14 would be around 50.8 mm. - As can be seen from the superposed
clips FIG. 3A , in certain embodiments the side-on geometry of theclip 1 differs from theprior art clip 3 described above in various ways, as will now be described with reference toFIG. 3B which shows theclip 1 andFIG. 3C which shows theprior art clip 3 described above. As shown in the Figures, H and H′ represent the respective heights of theclips clips 1 3 above a plane A containing an outer surface of thebase portion clip clip main part main part clip base portion clip central region - In a
clip 1 embodying the present invention, which is in an unstressed configuration (i.e. before installation of the clip in a rail fastening assembly), an aspect ratio H/L for theclip 1 may be ≦0.6. The aspect ratio H/L may fall within a range from 0.4 to 06, or more preferably from 0.45 to 0.6, or even more preferably from 0.45 to 0.55.Prior art clips 3 have a larger aspect ratio H′/L′ than such aclip 1, for example atypical clip 3, such as shown inFIG. 3B , has an aspect ratio H′/L′ of 0.64. For theclip 1 shown inFIG. 3A by way of example, H/L is 0.49. - In a
clip 1 embodying the present invention, which is in an unstressed configuration (i.e. before installation of the clip in a rail fastening assembly), the angle α made by the first direction With respect to the plane A may be ≦50°. Angle α may fall within a range from 20° to 50°, or more preferably from 30° to 50°, or even more preferably from 30° to 40°.Prior art clips 3 have a larger angle α′ than such aclip 1, for example atypical clip 3, such as shown inFIG. 3B , has an angle α′ of 68°. For theclip 1 shown inFIG. 3A by way of example, angle α is 35°. - In a
clip 1 embodying the present invention, which is in an unstressed configuration (i.e. before installation of the clip in a rail fastening assembly), a ratio H/h for theclip 1 may be ≦6.00. The ratio H/h may fall within a range from 3.00 to 6.00, or more preferably from 4.00 to 6.00, or even more preferably from 4.00 to 5.00.Prior art clips 3 have a larger ratio H′/h′ than such aclip 1, for example atypical clip 3, such as shown inFIG. 3B , has a ratio H′/h′ of 7.4. For theclip 1 shown inFIG. 3A by way of example, ratio H/h is 4.6. - In such configurations the clip is easier to extract from a shoulder and to install therein than a prior art clip such as the
clip 3. For example, the extraction force required to remove a typical clip, such as theexample clip 1 shown inFIG. 3A , from a shoulder was found to be 18.95 kN, whereas an extraction force of 37.65 kN was unable to remove theclip 3 from the same shoulder. Similarly, the installation force required to drive a typical clip, such as theexample clip 1 shown inFIG. 3A , into the shoulder was found to be 13.55 kN as compared to an installation force of 26.79 kN required to drive theclip 3 into the same shoulder. - For the
clip 1 shown inFIG. 3A by way of example, length B is 61.5 mm and angle β is 14.5°, whereas for theclip 3 shown inFIG. 3B length B′ is 59 mm and angle β′ is 18.5°. - By way of example, other dimensions shown in
FIG. 3A may be as allows: length a=98 mm, length b=67 mm and length c=51 mm: diameter D=33 mm: radius of curvature r=14 mm; and angle y=15°. - As can be seen by comparing the
clip 1 shown inFIGS. 48 with theclip 3 shown inFIG. 4D , unlike thetoe portion 33 of theclip 3, thetoe portion 13 of theclip 1 is not bifurcated, nor does it have the same sort of insulator-retainingfeatures clip 3 for retainingtoe insulators FIG. 4C . Instead thetoe portion 13 of theclip 1 is provided, in the secondmain part 13B, with a throughhole 14 in the form of a slot which, as shown inFIG. 4A , can receive part of arail clip insulator 2 for electrically insulating a railway rail fastening clip from a railway rail. Theinsulator 2 is shown in more detail inFIGS. 5A to 5F . Further views of theinsulator 2 attached to the toe of theclip 3 are shown inFIGS. 6A and 68 , andFIG. 6C which shows an alternative embodiment. - The
insulator 2 comprises a base 21 andwalls 22 extending upwards from the base 21 around some of the periphery of the base 21 so as to leave anopening 23 along part of the periphery. The base 21 and thewalls 22 together define an open-toppedrecess 24 for receiving thetoe portion 13 of theclip 1, in particular for receiving the secondmain part 13B. Aspigot 25 is located substantially centrally on the base 21 and extends upwards from the base 21 for retaining thetoe portion 13 of theclip 1 within therecess 24. The top of thespigot 25 extends above thewalls 22. When in use theinsulator 2 is arranged on the lower,load bearing surface 13C of thetoe portion 13 of theclip 1 such that thespigot 25 of theinsulator 2 extends through the said throughhole 14 of thetoe portion 13. - Like the
throughhole 14, thespigot 25 has an approximately rectangular outline, having substantially straight long sides and rounded short sides. In this embodiment thespigot 25 is made of deformable material and is shaped and sized relative to the throughhole 14 so as to have an interference/mechanical fit therewith which acts to retain the insulator on the toe portion of the clip. In some circumstances, for example to provide a more secure fit on theclip 1 during transportation and/or where thespigot 25 is made of non-deformable material and/or is not shaped and sized so as to have an interference fit with thethroughhole 14, a top end of thespigot 25, which extends upwards beyond thethroughhole 14, may be adapted to extend over part of an upper surface of thetoe portion 13 adjacent to thethroughhole 14, such that thespigot 25 cannot pull back through. For example, the top end of thespigot 25 may be shaped during manufacture so as to have a snap-fit design (for example, an outwardly-extending deformable annular lip, not shown), or re-shaped (not shown) after thespigot 25 has been inserted into thethroughhole 14 for example by ultrasonic staking). Alternatively, after insertion into thethroughhole 14, the top end of thespigot 25 may be fitted (for example, by welding) with acap member 26, as shown inFIG. 6C , the periphery of which extends beyond the periphery of thethroughhole 14. - Although not essential, to save material, and/or to facilitate ultrasonic or other means of assembly, it is desirable if the
spigot 25 is a hollow, or partly hollow (as in this embodiment), member, comprisingwalls 25A defining the outline of thespigot 25, which is open at its top. Although not shown in this example, the spigot may also be open at its bottom. As mentioned above, and shown inFIG. 6C , the open end of thespigot 25 may be covered with acap member 26. - As shown in
FIGS. 7A to 70 , particularlyFIG. 7C , when theclip 1 is in its operative configuration, fully installed in ananchoring device 50 and bearing on arail 100 such that theinsulator 2 is in contact with afoot 101 of the rail, part but not all of thethroughhole 14 of theclip 1 lies over therail foot 101. In particular, whilst part of the periphery 140 of thethroughhole 14, when viewed from above therail 100, extends beyond the outer edge 103 of therail foot 101, the remaining part of the throughhole periphery 140 extends over therail foot 101. It should be noted, however, that in some embodiments all parts of the periphery 140 of the throughhole 14 may extend over the rail foot.
Claims (15)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB1101720.9 | 2011-02-01 | ||
GBGB1101720.9A GB201101720D0 (en) | 2011-02-01 | 2011-02-01 | Railway rail fastening clips and insulator |
PCT/GB2012/050138 WO2012104600A1 (en) | 2011-02-01 | 2012-01-24 | Railway rail fastening clip and insulator |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20130306747A1 true US20130306747A1 (en) | 2013-11-21 |
US9315947B2 US9315947B2 (en) | 2016-04-19 |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/979,412 Active 2032-04-25 US9315947B2 (en) | 2011-02-01 | 2012-01-24 | Railway rail fastening clip and insulator |
Country Status (9)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US9315947B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN103328725B (en) |
AU (1) | AU2012213259B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR112013019664B1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2825867C (en) |
GB (2) | GB201101720D0 (en) |
MX (1) | MX336971B (en) |
RU (1) | RU2546023C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2012104600A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20150083816A1 (en) * | 2012-04-23 | 2015-03-26 | Amsted Rail Company Inc. | Rail clip |
US11384485B2 (en) * | 2020-03-06 | 2022-07-12 | Progress Rail Services Corporation | Rail clip assembly and snap lock toe insulator for same |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB201101720D0 (en) | 2011-02-01 | 2011-03-16 | Pandrol Ltd | Railway rail fastening clips and insulator |
RU2557098C1 (en) * | 2014-12-30 | 2015-07-20 | Борис Владимиленович Наумов | Rail fastening |
RU2688650C1 (en) * | 2018-03-28 | 2019-05-21 | Ольга Васильевна Новакович | Flexible boltless rail fastening |
CN113338087A (en) * | 2020-11-27 | 2021-09-03 | 浙江斯泰新材料科技股份有限公司 | Anti-loosening steel rail installation mechanism and dismantling method thereof |
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US20040056108A1 (en) * | 2000-10-09 | 2004-03-25 | Barry Marshall | Railway rail fastening clip and assembly |
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-
2012
- 2012-01-24 MX MX2013008881A patent/MX336971B/en active IP Right Grant
- 2012-01-24 WO PCT/GB2012/050138 patent/WO2012104600A1/en active Application Filing
- 2012-01-24 RU RU2013140438/11A patent/RU2546023C2/en active
- 2012-01-24 BR BR112013019664-5A patent/BR112013019664B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2012-01-24 US US13/979,412 patent/US9315947B2/en active Active
- 2012-01-24 CA CA2825867A patent/CA2825867C/en active Active
- 2012-01-24 GB GB1201081.5A patent/GB2487828B/en active Active
- 2012-01-24 AU AU2012213259A patent/AU2012213259B2/en active Active
- 2012-01-24 CN CN201280007007.5A patent/CN103328725B/en active Active
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---|---|---|---|---|
US20150083816A1 (en) * | 2012-04-23 | 2015-03-26 | Amsted Rail Company Inc. | Rail clip |
US9382667B2 (en) * | 2012-04-23 | 2016-07-05 | Progress Rail Services Corporation | Rail clip |
US11384485B2 (en) * | 2020-03-06 | 2022-07-12 | Progress Rail Services Corporation | Rail clip assembly and snap lock toe insulator for same |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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RU2013140438A (en) | 2015-03-10 |
US9315947B2 (en) | 2016-04-19 |
BR112013019664A2 (en) | 2020-11-10 |
RU2546023C2 (en) | 2015-04-10 |
AU2012213259B2 (en) | 2014-09-25 |
CN103328725A (en) | 2013-09-25 |
CA2825867A1 (en) | 2012-08-09 |
GB201101720D0 (en) | 2011-03-16 |
AU2012213259A1 (en) | 2013-03-28 |
GB201201081D0 (en) | 2012-03-07 |
MX2013008881A (en) | 2013-08-14 |
GB2487828A (en) | 2012-08-08 |
MX336971B (en) | 2016-02-05 |
CN103328725B (en) | 2015-11-25 |
WO2012104600A1 (en) | 2012-08-09 |
GB2487828B (en) | 2017-02-22 |
BR112013019664B1 (en) | 2021-06-08 |
CA2825867C (en) | 2021-05-18 |
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